Using the Type-Topic Method for Blog Content Idea Generation

At first, it might seem challenging to come up with blog post ideas. And, it was challenging for me too until I discovered this basic formula:

 

Type + Topic = Unlimited Content

 

Using this formula, blog content idea generation is less burdensome, and the only problem I have is finding the time and resources to develop the content from all of the ideas I’ve developed.

Here’s the simple three-step process I use for blog content idea generation.

Step 1: List all of the types of blogs you could possibly write.

Just like plays in sports, there are dozens of proven formats that will get you to the goal line. An excellent resource is The Ultimate List of Blog Post Ideas by DigitalMarketer.

There are dozens of types of posts, and each follows a basic format. A list post, for example, would have a title that starts with something like “5 Things ….” and the copy would include a brief introduction, five sub-sections listing and explaining each thing, and then a summary and call to action. Knowing the structure of a post before I even write it (or pay someone to write it) make it so much easier to create the content once you decide on a topic.

Step 2: List of all of the topics you want to cover.

If you’re not sure what topics you want to cover, the most natural thing to do is to look at your website navigation. Most business websites (especially small business sites that are just getting their content marketing up and running) are brochure sites. Each navigation menu category (and sub-category) typically lists products and services. The home page and about us pages discuss the types of things the business does. Add these to the sheet as well.

Step 3: Apply the Type-Topic formula.

Now you’ve got a blog content generator, so simple you could randomly pick a type of blog post and topic, and you’ve got an idea for your next blog post.

If you’re promoting tennis lessons, for example, you might choose “checklist” for the blog post type and “serving” for the topic. So maybe you write (or pay someone on UpWork) to write a 500-word blog post on “7 Steps to Correct Tennis Service Technique”. Pretty easy, right?

Getting Organized

I’ve found that Google Sheets is a great place to organize this information. On the first sheet, I put a list of all of the types of blog posts. Below that, I put a list of all of the topics I want to cover. On a second sheet, I list all of the blog post ideas I come up with using this technique.

Once you’ve got this in place, you’ll find that creating dozens of blog content ideas is easy.

Hope this helps.